I just updated my FF57.0 (beta 13, 14 or whatever it was) and it now says I have Firefox 57.0 and that's all...no beta or anything.Is this an early release of the finished 57 or is something just missing from theversion identification. It still says I'm on the beta channel.

Richard1296 wrote:I just updated my FF57.0 (beta 13, 14 or whatever it was) and it now says I have Firefox 57.0 and that's all...no beta or anything.Is this an early release of the finished 57 or is something just missing from theversion identification. It still says I'm on the beta channel.

Richard

as 57 is not officially released yet it'll say your still on the Beta channel untill you update it to final on the 14th.

At the top it says "57.0 (64 bit )" , and that's all.It does say it is on the beta release channel .But until a few minutes ago it always displayed a beta release version number, andnow it doesn't.I was just wondering if I possibly got an early release.

Richard1296 wrote:I just updated my FF57.0 (beta 13, 14 or whatever it was) and it now says I have Firefox 57.0 and that's all...no beta or anything.Is this an early release of the finished 57 or is something just missing from theversion identification. It still says I'm on the beta channel.

Since you are on the Beta Channel, you will remain on the Beta Channel until you specifically go out of your way to install Firefox from a different Channel to replace it.

If you continue just using the internal updater (either automatic updates or through Help -> About Firefox), you will remain on the Beta Channel and in about 6 days or so you may see the version changed to 58.0b1.

Those who have installed the Release Channel version of Firefox are currently one 56.0.2. If they don't disable automatic updates, in about 7 days (Tuesday, November 14) they will start being upgraded to Firefox 57. Typically Mozilla upgrades a small percentage of users first, monitor for increased problems, and then increase the pace of upgrades if there are no major issues, other than the complaints that the LEGACY extensions have disappeared. Those on the Release Channel will remain on the Release Channel unless they install a Firefox branded for a different Channel.

Those who have installed the Nightly Channel version of Firefox and allow automatic updates currently have 58.0a1 (2017-11-07). In about a week or so Nightly will be rebranded 59.0a1 and probably shortly after that Nightly will start receiving code changes that make 59 be 59. We who are on Nightly will remain on Nightly unless we install a Firefox from a different channel.

Richard1296 wrote:I just updated my FF57.0 (beta 13, 14 or whatever it was) and it now says I have Firefox 57.0 and that's all...no beta or anything.Is this an early release of the finished 57 or is something just missing from theversion identification.

Even though it doesn't say so, I think it is more properly a "Release Candidate", a build being prepared to eventually become the official 57, but it will not be official until the code is in the Release Channel. About then Beta will be receiving the 58 code, and about then Nightly will be branded 59.

Personally, I think the Developers should have used "57.0RC1" instead of "57" to designate that the Beta Channel is holding a Release Candidate, and let the "57.0" be used only for the official Release in the Release Channel. But that's just my opinion.

I can edit the Prefs.js in the program directory to get off the beta channel.I only allow updates when I choose, no automatic updates. When 57.0 becomesthe official release I will edit the "prefs.js" to move to the release channel.Still it will be updated when I choose.All of this is on my laptop, and not on this computer. I wanted to play with 57.0and see how much or how little it can be customized. At least userChrome.cssallows some customizing.Thanks to all of you for the info

It is channel-prefs.js and not prefs.js and the prefs.js is in Profile and not the program folder. Any Profile in program folder is just a template.

The app.update.channel is just to show what channel you are on as changing it in about:config or prefs.js has no effect as it has not been a modifiable preference since Firefox 4.0. You can change channel in channel-prefs.js file but it is not as if you will then get a update from a Beta build going backwards to current Release. It is for say going from Release to Beta.

OK so what is the best way to get off of beta and on the release channel for 57,and I don't do automatic updating. I was just using 57 beta to experiment with so when finally forced to updateto 57 on my main computer (this one) I could get it running smoothly andto suit my preferences. I will keep 57 on my laptop but would like release channel...and not the continual changes the beta channel provides.

Richard1296 wrote:OK so what is the best way to get off of beta and on the release channel for 57,and I don't do automatic updating. I was just using 57 beta to experiment with so when finally forced to updateto 57 on my main computer (this one) I could get it running smoothly andto suit my preferences. I will keep 57 on my laptop but would like release channel...and not the continual changes the beta channel provides.

disable updates in 57 (so that you don't get thrown over to 58, in case that breaks things in going back to 57)wait till 57 is releaseddownload the full installerinstall 57 release overtopenable updates in 57

I think it would. I read over on reddit that the Release 57 will have the exact same binaries as Beta 57 and they don't even want to change the version number in the binaries when it lands in Release to minimize the chances that even that small change could break something.

Of course what we don't know is if there will be a newer Beta 57, but if there is and if I were going to do the above, I would want to freeze my install no later than Saturday and make a backup of the profile.

As far as doing an install once Release 57 full installers are available, I think I would want to download the new Release 57 full installer, uninstall the Beta 57, make sure the executable directories are gone (in Windows, this is in C:\Program Files or in C:\Program Files (x86)) and then run the installer. (You really don't want Beta traces in the Release executables, which could trip things up in the future.)

Following this scenario, you don't want to do anything other than a backup of the Profile directory(ies), which in Windows are in C:\Users\Mark12547\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles and C:\Users\Mark12547\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles (replacing the Mark12547 with your Windows user-id).

Mark12547 wrote:I read over on reddit that the Release 57 will have the exact same binaries as Beta 57

Don't think so since we are now at FF57rc3 as of [09-Nov-2017 22:22 UTC] and beta 14 hasn't changed since [03-Nov-2017 00:14 UTC].

Also the binaries are not the same size.

.

I'm sure the post I had read was referring to what would end up the last RC being the binary they will roll into Release. Just like point upgrades, one wouldn't be sure that this one is the last until one decides there are absolutely no more changes to make, no more i's to dot, no more t's to cross, no more show-stoppers before calling it the official release.

Otherwise, there is no reason to be calling these "57" instead of "57.0RC1", "57.0RC2", etc.